The 16th edition of the “Tifawin Festival” focuses on “migration” and its repercussions on the rural population
The Tifawin Festival Association, in cooperation with the communities of Amlen and Tafraout, and with the support of a group of institutional and private partners, announced the organization of the sixteenth session of the “Tifawin Village Arts Festival”, during the period from August 15 to 18, 2024 in the cities of Tafraout and Amlen in the Tiznit region.
She stated that this session will focus on the dimension of “migration” and its repercussions on the rural person in various fields, including the field of rural arts, the field of qualifications, skills and rural rituals, and the field of thought and identity, within a harmonious program centered around the rural migrant as a cultural being who carries with him “from and to the village” the characteristics of his cultural identity and his societal concerns.
In a presentation paper, she pointed out that “migration is a phenomenon as old as man himself. Although the reasons are many and the contexts differ, man has always moved from one place to another, either out of fear or greed. Since ancient times, migration has been a source of cultural cross-pollination that has contributed to peoples getting to know each other, so they benefited and were benefited, and influenced and were influenced. Even in the case of conflict that may result from the meeting of two different human groups, cultural cross-pollination occurs later, and its effects appear in peoples’ adoption of cultural patterns coming with the colonizer, just as the latter adopts some of the cultural productions of the colonized. Accordingly, migration was not viewed as a “problem” except with contemporary societies, especially after the emergence of the nation-state, which drew borders and introduced passports and then entry visas to limit the movement of people, at a time when the movement of capital, expertise and knowledge was permitted.”
“In the face of the emergence of large economic disparities between countries, the inhabitants of ‘poor’ countries were forced to seek immigration to ‘rich’ countries, whether through a ‘legal’ or other means, where concepts such as ‘illegal immigration’, ‘irregular immigration’ or ‘temporary residence’ emerged. Then countries competed in issuing laws with a punitive approach to limit immigration, with the exception of ‘selective immigration’ from which receiving countries benefit.”
The issue has also become, the same source adds, “an international concern, for which the United Nations created special bodies such as the International Organization for Migration (1951) or the Special Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990). Thus, the issue of migration has become discussed at several levels, whether in universities, scientific forums, or political forums.”
“Morocco was not isolated from the developments that this issue has witnessed. Throughout its long history and by virtue of its geographical location, Morocco has always been a country receiving migration, whether from sub-Saharan Africa, the East, or the North of the Mediterranean, or exporting it to all parts of the world, especially Europe.”
“If we limit ourselves to the Sous region (central Morocco), since the late eighteenth century, the “Tarwa N Sidi Hammad Oumoussa” moved to Europe, especially France, to present their theatrical performances. There, the French orientalist Fontaine Duparade (1739-1799) met them and discovered with them the Amazigh language of Sous. Starting from the mid-nineteenth century, they participated in the German circus, and their fame spread worldwide. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Soussians migrated in large numbers to the major Moroccan cities in the northwest, especially Casablanca and its environs, and contributed to laying its economic foundations. They also migrated to Algeria and Tunisia, before the French administration recruited them in World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945). After independence, the French administration recruited them with the contractor Felix Moga as workers to stimulate the French economic movement, whether in the coal mines in the north or in the automobile industry, before a large number of them turned to trade.”
“Through these immigrants, the French in France discovered part of Moroccan culture, especially couscous and tajine, and some Amazigh musical styles such as the art of the rais, which in turn benefited from the development of recording technology in France. Moroccans did not leave empty-handed from this cultural encounter, as they in turn learned the French language and discovered some elements of Western culture, such as drinks, clothing and perfumes. Economically, if France benefited from Moroccan labor, the latter also made its money earned in France a tool for the development of its original country, as it dug wells in the countryside, paved roads, built luxurious homes, and took care of schools, thus contributing to improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of its original villages, by contributing to providing them with networks of drinking water and electricity. It also played a role, starting in the 1970s, in housing and embracing a number of Moroccan students abroad and facilitating their educational attainment conditions, and worked to invest its money in Morocco in several fields. The situation remains the same today, despite the succession of generations and the change in contexts, as the income of the Moroccan community abroad in hard currency is considered one of the most important resources of the Moroccan state treasury.” The presentation paper for “Tifawin Festival” states.
This scientific forum, with the participation of specialists, seeks to raise the issue of migration for scientific discussion, through:
- Working to understand the various problems and issues related to migration,
- The legal framework regulating migration, nationally or internationally,
-Cultural cross-pollination resulting from migration
-The economic and development potential provided by migration
The presence of migration in Amazigh cultural production
Source : websites